Chapter 2

Amelia, her left wrist swathed in a fresh bandage that did little to dull the throbbing ache within, departed the Caldwell mansion without a backward glance.

Sarah and Ben awaited her in a waiting car, their faces a study in fury and apprehension.

"That brute," Sarah seethed, her knuckles white upon the dashboard. "And that harpy, Jessica! I trust you intend to sue them until they are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs."

Ben, ever the pragmatist, assisted Amelia into the vehicle. "The hospital is our first port of call. Thereafter, a conference with your solicitor."

In the sterile, antiseptic confines of the emergency ward, a physician confirmed a fracture of the distal radius.

As they encased her arm in plaster, Amelia was overcome by a profound sense of detachment. The physical hurt was but a dull, rhythmic complaint when measured against the protracted agony of the preceding years.

"You must see this divorce through, Amelia," Sarah implored, her eyes glistening. "You cannot continue to permit him to inflict such... degradation upon you."

Ben nodded in grim accord. "She is correct. This is no longer a matter of marital discord. This constitutes assault. The man is a danger."

Amelia regarded her friends, their unalloyed concern a balm upon her bruised spirit.

"The dissolution papers are already executed," she said, her voice low but resolute. "The cooling-off period is nearly concluded. In a short while, I shall be free."

A small, authentic smile graced her lips.

A palpable wave of relief passed between Sarah and Ben.

"Thank the heavens!" Sarah exclaimed, embracing Amelia with solicitous care. "We shall host a 'Finally Free' fête! No, a 'Good Riddance to Vile Rubbish' gala!"

Ben added, his tone brightening, "We will invite only your true companions. An effigy of Ethan could be constructed and ceremoniously burned!"

Amelia laughed, a genuine, unfettered sound that resonated despite the pain in her arm. "Perhaps not an effigy, Ben. But a celebration does sound... agreeable."

Their buoyant suggestions, their fervent advocacy, kindled a warmth within her. The future, once a terrifying expanse of gray, now held a nascent glimmer of possibility.

The door to the examination room swung inward without a preceding knock, and Ethan strode in. His face was not a mask of fury, but a void where fury might have been; a placid, chilling surface.

Jessica was not in his attendance this time.

He surveyed the scene: Amelia in a drab hospital gown, her arm entombed in plaster, her friends positioned on either side like sentinels.

His lip curled. "A 'Good Riddance' gala? How utterly pitiable. Still consorting with this... provincial menagerie, Amelia?"

His supercilious tone, his ingrained arrogance, it was all so drearily predictable.

The fleeting warmth Amelia had felt was extinguished, supplanted by a weary resignation.

Amelia met his stare, her own cool and unwavering.

"My friends possess loyalty and kindness, Ethan. Qualities whose nature you would fail to apprehend."

She gestured with her good hand towards her cast. "And this instrument of my current discomfort? It is the handiwork of your 'darling' Jessica and her charming acolytes."

Her voice was not accusatory but held the dispassionate timbre of a clerk reading an inventory of damages. This seemed to unnerve him more than any outburst would have.

Ethan scoffed. "Do not be so melodramatic. It was a mishap. Jessica was distressed. You provoked her."

He advanced a step, his voice lowering to a menacing whisper. "Do you imagine this little performance will induce me to desire your return? To feel some pang of remorse for your condition?"

He genuinely believed she had orchestrated this, had fractured her own wrist, to garner his attention.

"You know, Amelia, once this legal formality is concluded, you may host as many pathetic little celebrations as you wish. But do not for a moment believe you can tarnish my reputation, or Jessica's. I will see you reduced to a footnote in your own life."

His threat hung in the heavy, antiseptic air.

Amelia's smile was serene. "Reduce me, Ethan? You have made the attempt many times before."

She leaned back against the stiff pillows, her eyes never leaving his.

"As for tarnishing your reputation... I find you and Jessica are quite proficient at that task without any assistance from me."

She picked up the separation agreement from the bedside table, which her lawyer had dispatched by courier for a final review of a minor clause.

"The statutory waiting period is ninety days, Ethan. Then I am free. I am counting every one."

Ethan stared at the document in her hand, then at her calm, almost buoyant countenance.

He snatched the agreement, his eyes blazing. "You believe this is some sort of contest?"

He threw it back on the bed. "Fine. Ninety days. And then you are excised from my life for good. Do not expect a farthing more than what is stipulated in this document, Amelia. You will receive nothing further from me."

He turned on his heel and stormed out, the door shuddering in its frame behind him.

Sarah let out a tremulous breath. "The man is... unmoored."

Amelia merely nodded, her gaze distant. Ninety days.